The world of technology is changing faster and faster every day. Thousands of researchers around the world are working right now to create new knowledge and techniques. The results of these investigations will allow the invention of new products and processes that will become a part of the human cummulus of knowledge about technology, called "the state of technique".

Those who have worked hard to develop a tool or technological product should see their effort rewarded. As inventors, they have rights over the credits and use of their inventions. There must be a record where every one of these inventions is registered with the name of the people who have developed it. If someone else wants to exploit that invention, they must share their benefits with the inventor, and that has to be ensured by law.

That's how patents work.

What is a patent?

A patent is a record provided by the legal system of a country that certificates the creation of a new product or process by a certain person. This record protects the rights that this person has over his or her creation. In exchange, the inventor must provide complete information about this patented product or process, so it becomes of public knowledge. This way, other people will be able to continue developing these ideas and perhaps perfect the design or use it as a base to create something new.

Patents are necesary to protect the rights of inventors, and therefore many countries have a patent system. However, as with many other laws, the system of patenting changes from one country to another. If you want to patent an invention of yours, you should get proper assessment from an attorney that specialises in the law of the country where you want to patent your invention. (Remember that all patents are national, so if you have, in example, a patent in the UK, and somebody wants to use your invention in Mexico without paying a fee to you, they can, unless you have patented your invention in Mexico as well.)

Patents are as much a tool to protect your rights over your own creations as they are a business investment, because you can make money out of other people's will to use that creation.

Why a patent attorney?

Every country has its own legal system regarging patents. Usually, the patenting process implies a lot of steps and work, and you can easily get lost in it. Misleading the patenting process can even make you loose all rights over your intellectual property. Moreover, there might be cases when you find someone else using your products without your permission, or the other way around, someone claiming that they have invented the product before you, and so you should not only have no rights over it, but even have to pay them for using it yourself.

In order to protect your interest and ensure the best result for you patenting process, you should get the advise of an attorney. As we have saild, the law changes from one country to another, so you should try to find an attorney that specialises in patenting laws of the countries where you want to patent your invention.

The case of Argentina

In Argentina, a country located in South America, patents are handled by INPI (Instituto Nacional de la Propiedad Industrial, National Institute of Industrial Property). INPI is located at Paseo Colon avenue, downtown in Buenos Aires. They provide industrial property related services such as trademarks and quality certifications. The whole process of patenting can last up to seven years, and it has many steps that must be followed properly so as not to be dismissed.

Once a patent request is presented along with the corresponding paperwork, the case is set to study for a group of professionals. The patent must meet three requisites to be valid: it must be new and original, it must have practical use, and it must not be an obvious conclusion of the state of knowledge. The Institute also provides paid access to a national and international database of patents, so inventors can see if their product has actually been developed and already patented by someone else in the world, and save themselves years of waiting before receiving the news that the patent can not be established. Anohter possible and unwanted consequence of starting up a patenting process without proper research is that, while you are in the middle of the process, other people could state that they have come out with the same product first. In this case, there must be a judiciary process to determine who is right, and you will need an attorney for that.

If you want to get a patent lawyer in Argentina, a great choice is to contact Sofia Mundet. She is an attorney specialised in patents and trademarks. She has worked for many important companies -Samsung, Honda, Toyota and LG Electronics just to quote a few- and has experience in over ten Latin American countries. She is currently radicated between the United Kingdom and Argentina and is a great choice for the ones who want to undergo the patenting process successfully.

Uutech has offices in the UK and Latin America. We provide international protection for emerging markets in Latin America.